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Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Invisibility
Are there moments in your life when your femaleness is a source of power or hardship? When does your voice ring its clearest? When have you been silenced?
Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Invisibility brings together international poets and essayists, both award-winning and emergent, to answer these questions with raw, honest meditations that speak to women of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations. It is an anthology of unforgettable stories both humorous and frightening, inspirational and sensual, employing traditional poetry and prose alongside exciting experimental forms. Feminine Rising celebrates women’s differences, while embracing the source of their sameness—the unique experience of womanhood.
Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Invisibility brings together international poets and essayists, both award-winning and emergent, to answer these questions with raw, honest meditations that speak to women of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations. It is an anthology of unforgettable stories both humorous and frightening, inspirational and sensual, employing traditional poetry and prose alongside exciting experimental forms. Feminine Rising celebrates women’s differences, while embracing the source of their sameness—the unique experience of womanhood.
- GenresPoetry
286 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2019
3 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Andréa Fekete
6 books37 followersFekete is granddaughter to Mexican and Hungarian immigrants, a native of the southern West Virginia coalfields. She is author of the novel of the WV coal mine wars, Waters Run Wild (Sweetgum Press, 2010) with re-release from Guest Room Press in October 2018.
Her fiction and poetry often appear in journals such as Chiron Review, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Kentucky Review, Montucky Review, Adirondack Review, ABZ, and in such anthologies as Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia. (WVU Press, 2017)
She earned her MA from Marshall University and MFA in Creative Writing from WV Wesleyan. She co-edited Feminine Rising: Voices of Power & Invisibility (Cynren Press April 2019) which won the Silver for Foreword Book of the Year in women’s studies.
Her fiction and poetry often appear in journals such as Chiron Review, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Kentucky Review, Montucky Review, Adirondack Review, ABZ, and in such anthologies as Eyes Glowing at the Edge of the Woods: Fiction and Poetry from West Virginia. (WVU Press, 2017)
She earned her MA from Marshall University and MFA in Creative Writing from WV Wesleyan. She co-edited Feminine Rising: Voices of Power & Invisibility (Cynren Press April 2019) which won the Silver for Foreword Book of the Year in women’s studies.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 19, 2019
This book right here is a conversation.
It's everything woman, it has insights on love, resistance and struggles, awakening, violence and survival and it's pretty much what a foodie would call an 'all-you-can-have-buffet."
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
It's everything woman, it has insights on love, resistance and struggles, awakening, violence and survival and it's pretty much what a foodie would call an 'all-you-can-have-buffet."
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
Did not finish
February 18, 2019DNF at around 50%, no rating.
You can also read this review on my blog.
Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Visibility won’t be receiving a rating from me because I decided to put it aside at around the 50% mark, but I still wanted to share some thoughts on it.
The introductions by both of the editors, Andrea Fekete and Lara Lillibridge, as well as the foreword by Dr. Amy Hudock made me suspect the anthology would tend towards some trends in feminism that are anything but intersectional, but they were promising “to give a microphone to those who had never had a chance to have their voices heard”, so I wanted to give Feminine Rising a fair chance.
If you read the summary, you’ll see that something is notably absent from the equation here: disability. If you want to uplift the voices of women who have previously been silenced, it is unacceptable not to include disabled voices, considering disabled women have been some of the most disenfranchised, abused, and unheard, even in feminist circles. Additionally, any feminism that doesn’t even attempt to challenge the gender binary is far from revolutionary, and this anthology reeks of biological essentialism. I have to admit that I don’t know if there are any trans voices present, but I have my doubts, considering how strongly the relationship between womanhood and menstruation or childbearing keeps being drawn.
I think one of the pitfalls of Feminine Rising is that Fekete didn’t seek out a co-editor (or co-editors) who would have been able to cover some of her own blindspots. In her introduction, she details how the anthology came to be, and it sounds like she didn’t actively approach marginalised women for submissions, which is another issue. I also felt like one text in particular written by a white woman used people of colour, and specifically women of colour, as learning experiences. A more diverse editing team would almost certainly have balanced some of these issues, and it’s unfortunate that that doesn’t seem to have been a priority.
There were a select few pieces that stood out from the throng, but overall Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Visibility fails in what it set out to do.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cynren Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
***
INITIAL REACTION:
I just cannot force myself to continue to slog through this anthology. Despite claiming to "speak to women of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations" Feminine Rising reads very "white feminism" to me, not least due to the introductions by the editors and one of their mentors. Disability seems to be missing from the equation entirely, and the explorations of gender reeked of binarism and biological essentialism. There was a slew of pieces about menstruation, ranging from first periods aka girls becoming women (can you hear me rolling my eyes to the back of my head?) to menopause, without any deeper exploration of the topic that would have actually made these writings interesting. Thinking about this being taught in gender studies courses makes me want to bash my head against the wall, but what else is new. Overall, I could not get invested in most of the pieces, even though there were a select few that stood out to me. DNF'ing this feels like a huge relief.
You can also read this review on my blog.
Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Visibility won’t be receiving a rating from me because I decided to put it aside at around the 50% mark, but I still wanted to share some thoughts on it.
The introductions by both of the editors, Andrea Fekete and Lara Lillibridge, as well as the foreword by Dr. Amy Hudock made me suspect the anthology would tend towards some trends in feminism that are anything but intersectional, but they were promising “to give a microphone to those who had never had a chance to have their voices heard”, so I wanted to give Feminine Rising a fair chance.
If you read the summary, you’ll see that something is notably absent from the equation here: disability. If you want to uplift the voices of women who have previously been silenced, it is unacceptable not to include disabled voices, considering disabled women have been some of the most disenfranchised, abused, and unheard, even in feminist circles. Additionally, any feminism that doesn’t even attempt to challenge the gender binary is far from revolutionary, and this anthology reeks of biological essentialism. I have to admit that I don’t know if there are any trans voices present, but I have my doubts, considering how strongly the relationship between womanhood and menstruation or childbearing keeps being drawn.
I think one of the pitfalls of Feminine Rising is that Fekete didn’t seek out a co-editor (or co-editors) who would have been able to cover some of her own blindspots. In her introduction, she details how the anthology came to be, and it sounds like she didn’t actively approach marginalised women for submissions, which is another issue. I also felt like one text in particular written by a white woman used people of colour, and specifically women of colour, as learning experiences. A more diverse editing team would almost certainly have balanced some of these issues, and it’s unfortunate that that doesn’t seem to have been a priority.
There were a select few pieces that stood out from the throng, but overall Feminine Rising: Voices of Power and Visibility fails in what it set out to do.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cynren Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
***
INITIAL REACTION:
I just cannot force myself to continue to slog through this anthology. Despite claiming to "speak to women of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations" Feminine Rising reads very "white feminism" to me, not least due to the introductions by the editors and one of their mentors. Disability seems to be missing from the equation entirely, and the explorations of gender reeked of binarism and biological essentialism. There was a slew of pieces about menstruation, ranging from first periods aka girls becoming women (can you hear me rolling my eyes to the back of my head?) to menopause, without any deeper exploration of the topic that would have actually made these writings interesting. Thinking about this being taught in gender studies courses makes me want to bash my head against the wall, but what else is new. Overall, I could not get invested in most of the pieces, even though there were a select few that stood out to me. DNF'ing this feels like a huge relief.
February 12, 2019
I was provided a free copy of this collection through Netgalley.
Feminine Rising is a collection of poetry from various artists. It is a conversation between the poet and the reader, like all great poetry should be. But this collection in itself is much more. Maybe it's because of all the issues with women's rights going on right now that makes this collection hit home. But whatever it is, this is a great collection. It's divided into seven sections:
Resistance & Roles
The Body & Sex
Love & Leaving
Family & Heirlooms
Violence & Survival
Silence & Subversion
Pregnancy & Birth
Feminine Rising is a collection of poetry from various artists. It is a conversation between the poet and the reader, like all great poetry should be. But this collection in itself is much more. Maybe it's because of all the issues with women's rights going on right now that makes this collection hit home. But whatever it is, this is a great collection. It's divided into seven sections:
Resistance & Roles
The Body & Sex
Love & Leaving
Family & Heirlooms
Violence & Survival
Silence & Subversion
Pregnancy & Birth
January 19, 2019
A collection of poetry and essays about all different aspects of the feminine, woman and female life. Thought provoking, this is the meaning of awe inspiring. A recommended read to all women and definitely to men , this should be a book for all.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
March 26, 2019
Feminine Rising is a collection of poetry and stories that explore the power and the lack of power that comes with being female. The collection features a wide range of writers and styles that come together under the banner of specific topics.
This is a collection that readers should take their time with. Because there are so many different ideas and images, it isn't something you should skim over in a day. That being said, it can be hard to stick with at times, mostly because there aren't a lot of stories that contain that bit of redemption where the female is seen, the female regains the power, unless you consider the idea that the words even being written is taking the power and wielding it. About two thirds of the book is like this, though there are some stories and poems later on that bring more light onto bad situations, rather than feeling like you're doing nothing but sitting in the middle of it with the author. Overall, this is a collection to think about and provides different vantage points of the female experience.
*Book provided by NetGalley
This is a collection that readers should take their time with. Because there are so many different ideas and images, it isn't something you should skim over in a day. That being said, it can be hard to stick with at times, mostly because there aren't a lot of stories that contain that bit of redemption where the female is seen, the female regains the power, unless you consider the idea that the words even being written is taking the power and wielding it. About two thirds of the book is like this, though there are some stories and poems later on that bring more light onto bad situations, rather than feeling like you're doing nothing but sitting in the middle of it with the author. Overall, this is a collection to think about and provides different vantage points of the female experience.
*Book provided by NetGalley
October 17, 2019
3.5-ish stars. I finished this months ago so the details are a little fuzzy at this point. Like any collection with multiple authors, some poems and essays were better than others, but overall it was a good read. It approaches the realities of a feminine life from many different aspects, exploring an endless number of topics in a realistic and endearing way. Because of the vast topics and viewpoints, it's not a collection that should be rushed through. Take your time with this one, let each essay or poem marinade a bit.
February 6, 2020
As many of you know, I’ve been diving deeper into feminism and literature on the topic. In the current times, with the third wave of feminism upon us, there are women coming from all directions, ready to speak out. In Feminine Rising, editors Fekete and Lillibridge summoned personal stories, poems, and collective thoughts on what it means to be a woman.
As the editors note, Feminine Rising is broken into many sections to add structure to the collection. They include: Resistance & Roles; Body & Sex; Love & Leaving; Family & Heirlooms; Violence & Survival; Silence & Subversion; and Pregnancy & Birth. Each section contains a variation of short stories and poems that allude to or take on the topic mentioned, written by those who headed the call for women to share their own stories, in their own voices.
Overall, I enjoyed the collection. It was powerful, emotional, and a great display of the strength it takes to share what many keep private. These are women who want to support and engage with other women, and I admire their collected courage. I do however wish that it was broken into two collections- one of poetry, one of short stories- for more reader palatability. With 250+ pages, there is a lot of bouncing between the two, and it skews the pace of the collection, and makes it a little disjointed overall. However, the selection is impressive for solicited writers, which helped me continue pushing through the formatting issues.
In the end, I would recommend Feminine Rising to those wishing to diversify their reading with feminist and our own voices books, as well as those looking for a beautiful selection of poetry and short stories.
As the editors note, Feminine Rising is broken into many sections to add structure to the collection. They include: Resistance & Roles; Body & Sex; Love & Leaving; Family & Heirlooms; Violence & Survival; Silence & Subversion; and Pregnancy & Birth. Each section contains a variation of short stories and poems that allude to or take on the topic mentioned, written by those who headed the call for women to share their own stories, in their own voices.
Overall, I enjoyed the collection. It was powerful, emotional, and a great display of the strength it takes to share what many keep private. These are women who want to support and engage with other women, and I admire their collected courage. I do however wish that it was broken into two collections- one of poetry, one of short stories- for more reader palatability. With 250+ pages, there is a lot of bouncing between the two, and it skews the pace of the collection, and makes it a little disjointed overall. However, the selection is impressive for solicited writers, which helped me continue pushing through the formatting issues.
In the end, I would recommend Feminine Rising to those wishing to diversify their reading with feminist and our own voices books, as well as those looking for a beautiful selection of poetry and short stories.
March 17, 2019
This book was provided to me by NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
To be fair, and honest...I loved this collection. I often find anthologies difficult to make it through—I like longer works. Imagine my surprise when I whipped through it in 24 hours and went back to read it again.
What I loved: Let’s start with the diversity of women’s voices in this book, both in ethnicity and age. This lends to the ability to see feminism through different eyes and different perspectives. I found myself intrigued by poetry written by women, some with the lyrical mysticism I usually eschew.
And the diversity of topics—the anthology is divided into topics, and I can’t decide which is my favorite. One of the short stories had a tone that reminded me of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, which was one of my earliest introductions to stories written by anyone other than white men (or white women who were told to hide their names to be published, a la The Outsiders’ S.E. Hinton.)
If you love women’s diverse voices, and all the different meanings of the word “feminism,” you’ll love this anthology. Fekete and Lillibridge have done an incredible job of compiling voices that have something to say—some I wish had said more, in fact, so entranced was I by their contributions.
To be fair, and honest...I loved this collection. I often find anthologies difficult to make it through—I like longer works. Imagine my surprise when I whipped through it in 24 hours and went back to read it again.
What I loved: Let’s start with the diversity of women’s voices in this book, both in ethnicity and age. This lends to the ability to see feminism through different eyes and different perspectives. I found myself intrigued by poetry written by women, some with the lyrical mysticism I usually eschew.
And the diversity of topics—the anthology is divided into topics, and I can’t decide which is my favorite. One of the short stories had a tone that reminded me of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, which was one of my earliest introductions to stories written by anyone other than white men (or white women who were told to hide their names to be published, a la The Outsiders’ S.E. Hinton.)
If you love women’s diverse voices, and all the different meanings of the word “feminism,” you’ll love this anthology. Fekete and Lillibridge have done an incredible job of compiling voices that have something to say—some I wish had said more, in fact, so entranced was I by their contributions.
Want to read
May 9, 2019I have been on a poetry kick this spring, so when I saw this title I had to jump on reading this. There are some absolutely fantastic works in this collection. There were some works that really engaged me, but there were also works that I just didn’t connect with, I do have some new writers to look out for, which is always great.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews